Source report

Angus Reid Institute, “BC Politics: Still-leaderless BC Conservatives open 10-point lead over NDP amid DRIPA uncertainty,” May 5, 2026 — read the report. Full PDF/data tables — download the release.

The latest Angus Reid Institute numbers are not a normal mid-term wobble. They are a warning flare over David Eby’s government.

According to Angus Reid, the still-leaderless BC Conservatives lead the governing BC NDP by 10 points among decided and leaning voters: 46 per cent to 36 per cent. The Greens sit at 13 per cent. Angus Reid says this is the NDP’s lowest vote-intention reading since the 2024 provincial election and the lowest point recorded in its polling since March 2020.

The personal numbers for the Premier are just as stark. Angus Reid reports Eby’s approval has fallen from 53 per cent in March 2025 to 33 per cent now. A majority now disapprove of his performance.

DRIPA is no longer an inside-baseball issue

The poll ties the NDP’s slide directly to the land-rights debate and uncertainty around the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Angus Reid reports that 47 per cent of British Columbians support the BC Conservative leadership candidates’ call to repeal DRIPA outright, including 26 per cent of people who voted NDP in 2024.

That finding matters because it shows the issue has broken out of Victoria, legal circles and stakeholder meetings. It is now hitting the NDP’s own voter coalition.

What is confirmed

  • Angus Reid surveyed 804 B.C. adults online from April 24–28, 2026.
  • The BC Conservatives led the BC NDP 46% to 36% among decided and leaning voters.
  • Eby’s approval was reported at 33%, down from 53% in March 2025.
  • 47% supported repealing DRIPA outright, including 26% of 2024 NDP voters.
  • 55% said Eby has done a bad job balancing Indigenous land rights with private property rights.
  • 51% said B.C.’s future economy will be worse off with DRIPA in effect.

The accountability question

British Columbians can support reconciliation and still demand clarity on private property, land title, resource development and democratic authority. That is the trap the Eby government has built for itself: it has treated public concern as a communications problem when the poll suggests voters see it as a governing problem.

The NDP does have an argument. It says DRIPA is part of reconciliation and that it will work with First Nations leaders before the fall session. Angus Reid also reports 51 per cent of respondents believe there is still more reconciliation work to do.

But that does not erase the damage. When a majority says the Premier is mishandling the balance between Indigenous land rights and private property rights, the government cannot just announce another process and call it leadership.

The bottom line: the NDP’s DRIPA confusion is now measurable political damage. Eby has lost control of the file, and voters are noticing.